When I first met Emmaus painter and six-time boomerang world champion Barnaby Ruhe, he was busy at work. He was absorbed, painting a live portrait of a tall woman who posed for him during the Mayfair Festival of the Arts.

He was mesmerized by the form of the woman's thin lips, which gave her an air of bohemian elegance, akin to the style of Parisian fashion during 1920s.

He observed each line with precision and imbued what he saw with wide strokes of colors that splashed on the canvas like a waterfall on the rocks. He was in a blissful state as he painted and it showed when he finished the portrait. The woman saw herself in the painting. He showed her that she was the work of art and offered her a reminder of her inner and outer beauty.

The look I saw in the woman was very close to what I would picture healing to look like, a whole smile.

What I didn't know about Ruhe is that the New York University professor is also a studied shaman or spiritual healer. He has offered a seminar about the healing practices associated with Native American cultures around the globe. I attended it during the weekend of June 7 to 9. It's an extraordinary experience.

Most of the methods that are used in shamanic healings worldwide derive from practices that are now associated with better health. Energy healing, acupuncture, meditation and conscious dreaming are some of the techniques that emerged during the weekend adventure.

What I saw was a gathering of talented individuals determined to help one another feel better. And it worked, based on the look of each person as we finished the retreat on Sunday.

It was a look that resembled what I saw in that woman after she saw her reflection through the artist's eyes. No one measured our blood pressure or our level of stress, but it was evident that some healing had occured. Insecure gestures evaporated from people's faces. And everyone placed their talents for the higher good of others.

Barnaby Ruhe's workshops attract students from other states and countries. His farm is a retreat place for film makers, medical intuitives, traditional doctors and anyone who is interested in leaving behind old wounds to start to live with renewed enthusiasm.

To learn more about shamanic studies visit www.amberconnection.com or email: amberconnection@aol.com. Next seminar: June 28.

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ABOUT THE WRITERS

TIM DARRAGH has been reporting and editing the news for 30 years, most of it at The Morning Call. For much of that time, he's been doing award-winning investigative and in-depth reporting projects. Tim created the three-year-long Change of Heart project, and wrote a series on the state's fractured food inspection system that led to widespread improvements in food safety. Meantime, that novice jogger you see plodding along the streets around Bethlehem Township? That would be Tim.